Welcome to our list of arts and cultural events happening in the NSW Central West gathered from artists, event producers, great local venues and groups across the region. Use the contact or ticketing details listed with each event.

It’s free to submit your local events

For maps and details of museums, galleries, artist studios, historic sites, Aboriginal experiences and sites, craft shops, handmade retail outlets or public art go to the Culture Maps Central NSW menu.

Play the Game: 100 Years of the Astley Cup

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

In 1923, Dubbo businessman, Lawrence Astley, donated a cup to promote sporting competition between local schools, Dubbo High School and Sacred Heart College. With disparate enrolment numbers, the schools were mismatched and just two years later competition was formalised between the three state schools west of the Blue Mountains – Bathurst, Orange, and Dubbo High Schools.

Here / Now

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

HERE/NOW is Orange Regional Gallery’s annual community exhibition that presents the work of artists from across the Central West of New South Wales.

FREE

What’s that Skip?

WAYOUT ArtSpace, Kandos 71 Angus St, Kandos, NSW, Australia

The Kangaroo holds a special place in our cultural psyche - from national emblem, a symbol of pride and economy to pop culture icon and totem animal of First Nations Australians - this native creature is celebrated internationally as the truest expression of Australia.
However, a dichotomy has developed as the Kangaroo comes under increased threat, through loss of natural habitat, farming practices, encroaching urbanisation and climate crisis to illegal baiting, gun sport and an (unregulated) kangaroo meat industry that represents the largest single sustained massacre of land-based wildlife in the world.

Exhibition by Local Artist Paul Robinson

Lithgow Library & Learning Centre 157 Main Street, Lithgow, NSW, Australia

Paul resides in the very picturesque village of Mt Victoria and is a regular Lithgow Library customer. Over the years Paul has had great success with his paintings and many are in private collections or with overseas collectors. Paul studied fine arts but he considers himself mainly self-taught.

Eskbank House Museum has Lithgow City Council Acquisitive Artworks on display

Eskbank House Museum Corner Inch & Bennett Street, Lithgow, NSW, Australia

As an addition to the very successful Selections: Highlights from Lithgow City Council’s Acquisitive Art Collection exhibition currently on display at the Seven Valley’s Visitor Centre, Eskbank House Museum has brought more art works out of storage for the community to enjoy.

Robyn Stacey: As Still As Life

Cowra Regional Art Gallery 77 Darling Street, Cowra, NSW, Australia

Robyn Stacey: as still as life leads audiences into the tantalising world of the still-life tradition.

The exhibition opens with an exploration of still-life photographs drawn from MGA’s collection, placing the genre and Robyn Stacey’s work into context Stacey is one of Australia’s leading photographic artists whose fascination with the still life genre inspired the magnificent works in this exhibition.

Landscapes and a couple of abstracts

The Peisley St Gallery, Orange 54 Peisley St Gallery, Orange, NSW, Australia

Larissa Blake. The favourite elements of colour and gesture capture the studio view throughout the seasons. Deconstructed imagery and expressive application pare back the landscape, and the process emerges as the vital element in the work. The result is what happens when one engages with the now and finds bliss in the materials and a return to the sheer fun of painting.

Messages in the Sky – Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro

Mudgee Arts Precinct 90 Market Street, Mudgee, NSW, Australia

Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro are a duo of Australian contemporary artists known for their large-scale immersive installations, sculptures, and mixed-media artworks that often incorporate found objects and repurposed materials. Working collaboratively since 2001, they have gained international recognition for their thought-provoking pieces that explore themes of consumerism, the human impact on the environment and the philosophies of flight.

The Birds of Australia STORYBOX

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

A new digital, outdoor installation from the Australian Museum showcasing the incredible world of Australia's birdlife is coming to Orange Regional Museum. Presented on an interactive storytelling cube, The Birds of Australia STORYBOX brings to life the iconic bird illustrations of John and Elizabeth Gould together with First Nations storytelling and knowledges.

‘Restless Sleep’

Rosnay Organic, Canowindra 510 Rivers Road, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Rosnay Organic is hosting work by Cowra artist Linda Chant.

Linda is interested in painting, art history, found imagery and the opportunities these offer. Her aim is to create a new point of view for the audience to consider.

Laura Baker: Corrugated Town

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery 70-78 Keppel Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Crumbly buildings with tin roofs, chicken wire fences and hand-painted signs. The small town we grew up in; got stuck in; left; returned to; retired to; resign to.
Australian country towns have long been criticised for their unsympathetic design. Scarce funds are spread across large land, resulting in reoccurring potholes during wet summers, and businesses closing during drought, bushfire, and flood. The weather is always too hot; too dry; too wet; too.
But through rarely relenting adversity presses the spirit of the people. These are communities and homes and farms and livelihoods. Lived together. Supporting each other.
Through a reflective and laborious practice, fragile representations explore the harsh qualities of the Australian landscape. Fences, buildings and annual fallen leaves appear, suggesting a nostalgia, acceptance, and appreciation of this place.
This is an ode to the regional town; a body of work celebrating the unique landscape of power lines, uneven footpaths and corrugated everything.

Dobell Drawing Prize #23 | A National Art School Touring Exhibition

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery 70-78 Keppel Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Get ready to witness the best of Australian drawing as the 'Dobell Drawing Prize #23' kicks off its national tour at BRAG.

Touring at BRAG from September 2023, the exhibition will include a variety of curated public programs, exhibition tours, masterclasses, and educational resources.

FREE

Photography Exhibition and Historical display

Lake Cargelligo Memorial Hall Foster Street, Lake Cargelligo, NSW, Australia

FESTIVAL OF THE LAKES 2023 The John O'Reilly Memorial Photographic Exhibition + Competition. Along side our festivities around town a donation was made under the name of the Late John O’Reilly to hold a photography exhibition/competition. This will be held in the Memorial Hall Lake Cargelligo over the October Long Weekend.

‘Make the Colours Sing’ by Ka Mo

Jumbled, Orange 33-35 Sale Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

This exhibition celebrates the Australian countryside landscape in all her glory.

Beautiful golden pink sunrises, moody blue dusks, rolling green hills... these pieces capture a moment in time and whisk you away!

What’s That Skip? at Kandos Projects

Kandos Projects Windows - 24 hour access 18 Angus Ave, Kandos, NSW, Australia

Satirical, absurdist, serious and thought provoking, “What’s That Skip?” is an exhibition that draws on the popular television series ‘Skippy the Bush Kangaroo’ and collectively celebrates this globally recognized fauna.

Free

Ann Ind-Howarth Exhibition

Orange Art Society 22 Sale Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Come along to the exhibition of September featured artist Anne Ind-Howarth.

David Serisier: Here and There

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

In Here and There, David Serisier presents a selection of large-scale paintings exploring colour and painting as subject. Within these new works, colours are sourced from art, architecture and natural circumstance to be juxtaposed and re-formed through the painting process.

Barney Ellaga: The Last Song Man

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Barney Ellaga was the ‘Tjungayi’ or cultural policeman for the Alawa people of Central Arnhem Land. In a society with no written records, cultural information was handed down verbally to an appropriate recipient. With his sons predeceasing him and with no one achieving an appropriate level of initiation to receive this information, the line of succession, after many tens of thousands of years, stopped with him.

‘Landscapes in Motion: Aboriginal Art’s Contemporary Narrative’ by Lisa-Jane Van Dyk

Grenfell Art Gallery 88 Main Street, Grenfell, NSW, Australia

Opening Friday 22 September, 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
This exhibition is about reimagining Aboriginal art in a contemporary light, delving into the themes of energy, movement, and the profound connection to the land. These works dynamically blend traditional art with modern expression, bridging the gap between classic dot work and contemporary vision.

True Colours Exhibition

The Odd Sock Gallery - Art & Craft Supplies + Gallery 8 Farm Lane, #Shop 4, Blayney, NSW, Australia

Exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings, printmaking and photography from artists age 5-19 years. 

Over $1,000 in prizes. 

Stockroom Group Exhibition

The Corner Store Gallery, Orange 382 Summer Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

The Corner Store Gallery profiles the best of established and emerging Australian creatives, with curator Madeline Young seeking out colourful and visually arresting aesthetics in either art or design.

As an artist herself, Madeline pursues opportunities outside of the established Regional Gallery or informal market stall channels to reach new artists, creators, and audiences.

Beatlesfest Rock Photo Exhibition

GANG GANG Gallery, Lithgow 206 Main Street, Lithgow, NSW, Australia

Visit the beautiful Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow for an amazing Rock Photo Exhibition by David Wallace.

FREE

Millthorpe Creative Arts – Art Exhibition

Millthorpe Golden Memories Museum 37 Park Street, Millthorpe, NSW, Australia

A stunning collection of art created by local artists and artisans available to view and purchase.

Artist Open Studio – Madeline Young

The Corner Store Gallery, Orange 382 Summer Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Some very clever artists from the local area will be opening up their home studios to the public between 10am and 4pm.

Free

 

The What’s On calendar covers arts and heritage events happening across the NSW Central West in the local government areas of Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Region, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

Event listings are sourced or supplied from local venues and arts organisations. Many events listed here have been originally shared by the organisers on social media. Whilst all care is taken – and accuracy is our priority – we can take no responsibility for date changes or the content of contributed information. Contact the event organisers listed for more details or to book tickets.

The best way to include your event is to use our SUBMIT HERE form (under the What’s On menu at the top of each page). These listings will be manually approved by the Arts OutWest team before publication.  Please allow a couple of days for listings to be published. If you have submitted an event and want to make changes just email us at artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

Featured events‘ are those submitted directly online by presenters.

Event promotors are asked to only include their own original images / images that they have permission to use / copyright free stock images. For more information see our fact sheet on Using Images For Promoting Events (if you can’t see this link look under ‘Opportunities’ then ‘Resources’).